There in black and white: The US admits it is bombing Iran at Israel’s request

The US government has just admitted it is bombing Iran at the request of Israel. The Trump administration previously strenuously denied it had been dragged into this defeat by its genocidal Middle East ally.

The statement appeared on the State Department website on 21 April 2026. We’re sorry we didn’t get to it earlier… but we weren’t exactly looking for an admission on that scale.

An equally surprised US-based ex-military commentator and Iran War critic named Jack Murphy posted the quote on X:

The full statement can be accessed here. The relevant passage reads:

the United States is engaged in this conflict at the request of and in the collective self-defense of its Israeli ally.

Adding:

as well as in the exercise of the United States’ own inherent right of self-defense.

The full statement is a lengthy, Trump-style screed. It’s just the foremost military power on earth trying to justify the war — which it started — as some sort of act of existential self-preservation.

Just to reiterate…

US-Israel attacked Iran first on 28 February without provocation. Iran was offering unprecedented concessions in negotiations at the time. The Pentagon has since stated there was no imminent threat from Iran. And the UN’s atomic watchdog, the IAEA, has said there is no evidence Iran was developing a nuclear weapon.

The US has achieved none of its original war aims. Iran predictably closed the Straits of Hormuz, a vital oil channel, once attacked — creating a global energy crisis. Far from being defeated, Iran has said the war will continue until “the enemy’s inevitable and permanent humiliation, disgrace, regret, and surrender”. Trump came to power on an anti-war ‘America First’ ticket. He now faces worldwide humiliation.

A temporary ceasefire is currently in place amid attempts by Pakistan to broker a deal.

Trump — strenuous denials

Donald Trump has repeatedly denied Israel dragged the US into the war since the bombing began. He did so again on 20 April:

Israel never talked me into the war with Iran, the results of Oct. 7th, added to my lifelong opinion that IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, did.

And here he is quoted by the Guardian on 4 March, just days after the attack began. He has been asked if Israel forced the US hand:

No. I might have forced their hand.

Trump continued:

We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first. They were going to attack. If we didn’t do it, they were going to attack first. I felt strongly about that.

If you are struggling with the logic of the US president’s line of argument there… welcome to the club.

Nevertheless, the US State Department website now says the US is fighting Iran:

1. at the request of Israel
2. as a matter of national defence

In that order.

As ever, it is hard to know what an American leadership clique — as erratic as this one — is thinking. But that particular point is there in black and white.

Featured image via the Canary

By Joe Glenton

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